J&K awaits PM Modi's 'gentleman promise' on statehood restoration: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday said that Jammu and Kashmir continues to await Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "gentleman promise" on the restoration of statehood—an assurance he reportedly gave to leaders from the region during a meeting in New Delhi in 2021.

Recalling the meeting that followed the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, senior Congress leader and general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the Prime Minister had assured that following delimitation, assembly elections would be held, and statehood would be restored.

“It was, however, only on the Supreme Court’s direction that elections were eventually held in J&K. The Centre also submitted an affidavit before the court, promising restoration of statehood. Yet, ten months after the formation of government, there is still no sign of it,” Mir said.

He added that the people of J&K continue to suffer under a divided power structure, with real authority resting in the hands of an unelected administration.

Referring to the recent letter written to PM Modi by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi, Mir said, “We are not here with a begging bowl. Statehood is our right. If Modi considers the people of J&K equal to citizens in the rest of the country, they must be allowed to live in a true democracy.”

Veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh also expressed concern over the current governance in the region. “Elected representatives are being obstructed by the J&K Police. They feel helpless because no file moves without the consent of the Lieutenant Governor,” he said.

Singh added that Congress J&K incharge Naseer Hussain is in touch with National Conference president Farooq Abdullah to develop a broader strategy for achieving statehood restoration.

Echoing Mir’s remarks, Hussain questioned why the fourth and final step—restoring statehood—remains unfulfilled when the other three promised actions have already been taken. He also accused the L-G administration of corruption and called for investigations into alleged scams in mining and the Jal Shakti department. “It’s time to expose what an unelected government does when in power,” he said.